Apple Begins Trial Run For iPhone 6s Plus Manufacturing In India
One of the most successful Apple iPhones in India, the iPhone 6s Plus might be in line to receive a price drop. Not to compete with other smartphones or due to dwindling sales figures but, because Apple will soon manufacture the iPhone 6s Plus in India. Apple has already begun a trial run at the Bengaluru plant of its contract manufacturer, Wistron. The iPhone 6s Plus will be the second iPhone after the iPhone SE to be manufactured in India, if we exclude the upcoming iPhone SE 2.
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Wistron has already set up a new assembly line for iPhone 6s Plus production, and commercial production is expected to start in about two weeks. Just like with the iPhone SE, the iPhone 6s Plus will also see a drop in price as the manufacturing cost decreases. However, that might take some time as Apple is already selling the 6s Plus units in India which were imported initially. Locally produced iPhone 6s Plus can bring down the prices by 5-7%.
The iPhone 6s Plus 32GB currently retails for Rs 37999. After a 7% price drop, the price of the iPhone 6s Plus 32GB could come down to around Rs 35000. At such a price point, the 6s Plus will have a price similar to the entry-level model of the upcoming OnePlus 6. An industry executive said:
However, the price correction may not be reflected immediately since Wistron will not be able to fully meet the entire requirement of iPhone 6s Plus in India and imports from China will continue. Eventually, as the local capacity gains scale the prices will get corrected.
This is a great move by Apple considering the recent price hike of its iPhones in India. The Central Government increased import duties from 10% to 15% on products like circuit boards etc. Apple’s biggest competitor Samsung was insulated from the price hike as its premium smartphones are manufactured in India. Apple has also been working on its local sourcing plants in India. In early-2017, Apple had one sourcing plants. However, the company now has five sourcing plants for things like packaging products, adapters, accessories etc.
